Midnight Rendezvous
by Eternal Nightingale
Summary: UPDATED! NEW CHAPTER It's never crossed either of their minds,that they could lose her,that she could disappear from their lives in the blink of an eye. Just like the King,he always thought Rukia was a constant...shame on them for never thinking otherwise
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Midnight Rendezvous**

**Pairing(s): Hichi/Ruki, Implied IchiRuki**

**Rating: PG-13, mild sexual situations, cussing by H!Ichigo**

**Summary: She's dreaded sleeping and going to her inner world, especially if it meant seeing 'him' again, but on one such occasion, things turn out a bit more different. Oddly different to say the least. **

**A/N: My feeble attempt on writing a somewhat decent HichiRuki story, if only to see if I can actually do it. I'm not much into the smutty, lust-filled side of this pairing, more so for the fact that I don't have experience writing those sort of stories. I suppose once I get used to more mild content, I'll attempt a lemon with these two or IchiRuki. Whichever one inspires me first. I hope you all enjoy nonetheless. Remember reviews are lovely, constructive criticism is helpful and appreciated, and flames are thrown out kindly. **

**Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to it's respective owner, who is most certainly not me. **

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It happens so often now, she's afraid to close her eyes and let sleep take her away. She grimaces inwardly at her own thought, but knows it's true. She can't let herself be prideful and deny the fact that…that…that 'thing', or whatever it wanted to call itself, was and is scaring her.

She stares down at her pale hands and notices the trembling, and the sweat seeming to make her fingers stick together. She clucks disapprovingly and wipes the sweat away on her pajama bottoms. She pulls her knees closer to her chest and stares out the window of the Kurosaki living room.

She's been sitting on the edge for nearly three hours and plans to stay down here and conscious for the rest of the night. Reality was safe and secure; her dream world or her inner world whichever one was no place for her to be at this present time.

Her violet eyes seem to disagree with her words though as she feels them droop slowly down towards its goal, to completely shut close and let her mind enter deep sleep. Then she pinches her arm and her eyes are once again open and alert.

"Snap out of it Rukia!" she berates herself in the silence of the dark room. "You know what will happen if you fall asleep…it'll happen all over again." A shiver runs down her spine as she recalls the last time she had fallen asleep.

_The rushing wind, her feet pounding hard against a surface she didn't bother to see, a crazed laughter, the sounds of her breathing turning raspy from lack of oxygen, the feel of familiar yet unfamiliar white arms encircling around her like a rope not planning to let go, and the wet feel of a tongue running down her neck._

Rukia pinches herself again for letting the memories frighten her even more, and she rearranges her bottom to a more comfortable position on the floor.

"It won't happen again, I won't let it. I refuse to let him have his way with me in my own mind. There's no way." She repeats to herself like a mantra as the sounds of the night seem to quiet down around her.

She repeats her words in her head, and doesn't realize the loosening hold her arms have around her knees and her eyes slowly closing shut. Soon, she's fast asleep, and right into his arms.

--

She reopens her eyes to see the cloudy skies of an upcoming snowstorm. She groans and sits up from the ground to find snow everywhere around her. She rubs her head and yawns, her body still half-asleep.

"Surely, Sode no Shirayuki knew how tired I was to try and call me down…" She freezes and her mouth remains gaped open as thoughts race right through her like a lightning bolt.

"I-I'm asleep." She croaks out in something close to fearful denial. She lifts herself up and immediately dashes around her inner world, desperately looking for the tall white figure of her zanpakuto.

Then she hears it. The same annoying and mocking laughter that had haunted her for the past few days, now echoes across the forest of her world. She can feel her body already reacting to him the same way it's reacted before. Shivers of fear, her appendages trembling, sweat already rolling down her back and forming on her palms.

She curses at her body's weakness to this…hollow. This thing that seems to enjoy seeing her scream silently as she runs from him every time they meet in her world.

"Then again…" she smiles bitterly at the possibility. 'Maybe you react this way because that thing is still 'him'." Images of brown eyes and flaring orange hair cross her view. "And that scares me the most."

She pats her body as she prepares to run, but stops her movements as she feels a strong grip hold her arm tight. She scowls at how her arm trembles in his hold and she turns to meet a wide sadistic grin and yellow irises staring straight at her with amusement.

"Rukia…" he starts as he pulls her closer to his body. "You let your guard down too easily this time." He chides as if she's a child which earns him a bigger glare from the petite woman. "Thinking too much in the middle of a hunt is a dangerous thing my dear." He whispers as he twirls her around violently and presses her back against his abdomen.

"Especially if said hunter is going borderline insane over not being able to touch his little toy in such a long time." He pulls back her arms, and she grunts in pain as her head rolls back involuntarily.

He takes the opportunity to lick her cheek. His grin widens as she yanks her face away from him and tries to pry herself free from his hold.

"Don't you think you've had enough fun for tonight you sick bastard?" She spits out as she continues to struggle against his iron grip.

The tall albino seems to contemplate this as if it were a life-changing decision before grinning again and lifting her into his arms.

"Nope! In fact my dear little Rukia, our fun hasn't even started yet." He replies with a cheery tone, that's so sugar-coated and fake, the petite woman nearly gags.

"Let go of me!" She yells at him as he continues to walk towards a small batch of evergreens well hidden from the rest of the snow-covered terrain.

"Tsk, tsk, now Rukia. We can't have you trying to act like a little bitch when I have the right to be angry for leaving me alone in this place for so long." And as if it is the most natural thing to do, the hollow slaps her across the face and continues walking.

Rukia wipes away the tear of pain that rolls down her injured cheek and again tries to escape his grip. She lets out a gargled yelp of pain as his huge hands grab her arm and thigh and squeeze so tightly she could almost hear her bones creaking from the strain.

"S-Stop!" she manages to let out as the hollow squeezes her arm and thigh again. Her head leans on his strangely warm chest, and she grasps his white haori. "Enough!"

He releases his hold and proceeds to dump her onto the snowy ground. She clenches her teeth as the pain of her injured arm and thigh run up and down her body like a pulse. The hollow watches this with an impassive look, and as soon as he sees her calming down, kneels down to trap her between his legs.

Rukia looks up at the same yellow irises and winces at how his stare looks so much like…'Ichigo…' she thinks before shaking her head to get rid of the absurd thought. She glares up at the hollow and thinks.

'There's no way this hollow is anything near what Ichigo is…I'm going insane.'

As if reading her thoughts, the hollow smirks and pulls roughly at the strands of her black hair. "You were comparing me to the King just now…weren't you Rukia?" His tone is bitter as she refuses to reply. He frowns and yanks hard enough to pull Rukia off the ground and to face him.

"You were weren't you?!" He spits at her face as he yells out his question.

Rukia looks away again, feeling somewhat smug at how easily Ichigo could deflate the hollow's ego. She regrets her thoughts as another slap meets her other cheek and she's thrown back onto the ground.

She looks up and plans to throw back her own insults when she's silenced by his actions. The hollow glares at her with angered eyes and yanks off his white haori. Rukia winces as the white material makes a 'plup' sound on the soft snow, and her eyes stare back up at the hollow as he unties his black obi.

"W-What are you doing?" She asks, ignoring the trembling of her voice as he smirks at her question.

"I'm tired today my dear Rukia. I don't feel like chasing you around all over this annoying place. And since it's clear you intend to keep struggling." As if to prove his point, the hollow kneels back down to his knees before she could react and move away, trapping her in between him again. "I'll just take you now and let myself have a good time…at your expense of course."

He laughs then, his laughter cutting through her like a million zanpakuto. This thing, which dares have Ichigo's face, is planning to rape her! Her eyes light with a fiery anger as she pushes the hollow's face away from her neck. Her legs pull back and kick as hard as they can against the hollow's abdomen. He grunts in pain, but shocks her as he simply puts his whole weight on her as retaliation. She feels her ribs being constricted and pounds her fists against his back.

This only seems to entice the hollow more as she hears strained grunts coming from his lips. He bends his head down and manages to catch her lips. Rukia resorts to scratching his back as he bites her lips and roughly enters her mouth. As she feels his tongue exploring every crevice, warmth begins to envelop her body as it reacts to his tongue's actions.

She hears the hollow chuckle when she moans, and she automatically pushes him. He gives a sickening smirk as he wipes the drool hanging from his lips. She looks on in disgust, wondering if it's whether she enjoyed that kiss, or if that drool he wiped away came from her.

"I didn't know you were so kinky Rukia." He mocks her as feels the bloody scratches she gave him.

Rukia pulls herself away as he lets out another laugh. She feels so used and dirty as the kiss replays itself in her mind, and her moan of pleasure echoes in her ears.

"Ichigo would never do such a thing, that's why I find it hard to believe you and him are the same." She mumbles angrily as she looks away and tries to calm her boiling anger.

All she hears is a huge smack as his hand makes contact with her cheek again. The impact so hard she's flown a couple of feet back, and her body makes a painful impact against a tree. His feet appear in her vision as he stomps through the snow to reach her, and before she can even attempt to move away, his white fingers have already entangled themselves in her hair.

Her lips are swollen, and blood seeps from her mouth as the hollow scowls down at her. He yanks her hair again for good measure as she's thrown back on the ground. The hollow again positions himself above and her, and grabs the thin garment of her tank top.

"You just ruined your chances of enjoying this you little bitch!" he spits out angrily as the tank top is torn halfway through. "Now I'll make sure you're screaming in pain before I'm through with you." She struggles as his hand keeps stretching the material apart.

He bends his head down to whisper in her ear. "I'll enjoy this greatly Rukia." Her hair is pulled again as he lifts her up to remove the torn top. "Will the King ever make you scream in ecstasy like I will Rukia?"

She stiffens when his lips make contact with her neck, and he begins to suck at the soft skin with hungry desire. She feels her cheeks heat with embarrassment and maybe even suppressed desire. She can feel his hand slowly inch closer to her breast, and his fingers playing with the bra that keeps him from viewing the rest of her.

She pushes away with less force as before, and just as she's planning to succumb to his tantalizing touches, he pulls her hair back again, and licks his lips as he stares at the forming bruises on her neck.

Rukia glares at his angry yet waiting yellow irises. He seems to be waiting for a response from her. He still wanted a damn answer to his question after doing all of that to her? Something snaps inside her as she stares at him though, and as she feels her hair being pulled again for her face to be closer to his, she gains enlightenment.

Her violet eyes stare at him with an emotion that angers the hollow further. 'This is the same damn look she always gives to that insufferable brat!'

She's pushed roughly back to the ground, and the hollow begins to slap her over and over again, the brutality causing her blood to spray specks on the white snow below her. Her eyes remain open as she takes the violent strikes with stride. She stares at the hollow's blurred face as he slaps her back and forth. His eyes stick out though, and the same feeling as before overwhelms her body.

"Stop staring at me like that you stupid bitch!" He yells out in frustrations as the slaps become more violent. "Stop it right now or I'll make sure you never leave this damned place alive! You'll die in the confines of your inner world your worthless piece of trash!!" He continues to growl out his harsh words as Rukia simply lets the slaps continue.

Then, a shaky arm stretches out and stops his hand from continuing. He gasps out haggard breaths as the exertion finally reaches his body. His scowl remains as he stares at the bruised and bloodied face of the toy he's played with in the last couple of days. He frowns further to see the same look in her eyes.

"What?!" he yells as he yanks his hand free. "What the hell's making you look at me with such a pathetic face?!"

"You're lonely aren't you?" She whispers quietly, as her hand makes contact with his cheek.

His eyes widen at how sincere and open her eyes look as she stares at him. Though beaten nearly to a pulp, and her left eye now shut from her cheek swelling up, she shows understanding…and compassion.

He sits back and his eyes stay glued to her form as she slowly and painfully sits up. His eyes flicker between anger and something else as he studies her.

"W-What makes you think that huh? Me? Lonely? Pfft, never." He replies just as quietly, his futile attempt to sound unaffected by her words not going unnoticed by her.

She seems to consider this as she stares at how close her bra came to falling off her body. She stiffens for a second upon realizing how close she was to getting violated by the hollow. She looks up, and her eyes soften at the hollow's covered face.

"He's lonely too. He tries to deny it of course; it's in his blood to be thick-headed and prideful. I see it though; he feels lonely even when he's surrounded by people. He's also too stubborn to try and tell me how to help him. He tries to find a way to make it go away on his own. I suppose in that sense you two are the same after all." Her voice echoes throughout her empty inner world and the two of them remain sitting near each other as the first flake of snow falls down towards the ground.

"I don't expect you to understand my logic though; he doesn't either most of the time." She smiles with slight amusement, but winces when she realizes her injuries don't allow her to smile as broadly.

She randomly thinks that her injuries better not appear when she awakens or she'd never hear the end of it from the carrot top. Her eyes drift back to the hollow when she feels his legs scoot over towards her until his face is right by hers and his arms are within reach of her body.

She opens her mouth to command him to back off a bit, when his arms engulf her and pull her into him. She lets out a squeak as he embraces her with such a tender touch she blushes. The hollow's white hair is all she can see as his arms tighten their hold around her.

"I can see why the King chose you…" he starts. "You know us well."

"You might be surprised though Rukia dear, that the answer to fix his emotional slump has been in your hands all along."

Rukia looks at the back of his head questioningly as the hollow relaxes against her. As if reading her thoughts again, the hollow chuckles and buries his face deeper into her shoulder.

"You'll get it soon enough dear little Rukia." His voice grows more distant as the world around them begins to blur out. "I'll stop our little games now, though I hope you don't mind me making some visits from time to time."

She can feel her eyes growing drowsy again, and his arms seem to be growing lighter in weight. He smiles and keeps talking.

"I'll see you soon then Rukia. After all…I don't like to be lonely…right?" he pulls away from her and smirks widely as she slowly returns to reality.

This hollow is so confusing. He's violent and nearly animalistic in nature one moment, and talks like an intellectual close to my brother's level the next, what exactly is this thing? Besides sharing one whole entity with Ichigo…what is he?

She thinks this as her mind grows more and more awake of her surroundings.

--

As she opens her eyes to the early morning skies appearing over the living room window, she can hear his chuckle echoing in her head.

The sounds of feet making their way downstairs catch her attention, soon followed by the yells of two male voices, one clearly pissed off and another cheery and booming as always.

She imagines his smirk again and clearly frowns as the household is filled with the sounds of another morning.

"Why do I feel like he just tricked me…?"

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**End.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Silent Nightmare**

**Pairing(s): More implied IchiRuki, HichiRuki**

**Rating: This one is an M kiddies, but not as graphic as others I've read -sweats- this chapter does contain S-M-U-T. So if you don't like it I'd avoid reading the last part of the chapter lol. **

**Summary: Rukia has a nightmare that leaves her emotionally drained, and appears the Hollow has a way to fix it.**

**A/N: Against my better judgment I came back to Midnight Rendezvous and did another chapter, and yes I may continue it with one-shots. It wasn't peer pressure though, my muse just bitch-slapped me and told me to write a really crappy chapter where I can insert Fail!HichiRuki smut. And fail it'll be cause this is my FIRST smut....and you'll be able to tell almost immediately lol. Anyways enjoy and try not to laugh at how suckish it is :p **

**Note: The first part will seem, IchiRuki but that's kinda of the point so no worries, we get to the HichiRuki in the second part ;)**

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The frightening sound of rain pounding harshly against the cold pavement of a lonely street fills her ears. All she sees as she tries to slow down her raspy breaths is the large shape of a fallen figure.

Her eyes try to make out whom it is, another bystander injured in the hollow's attack, or one of her comrades. She takes a step forward, and gasps as a sharp pain travels up her right leg.

She looks down and sees the huge bloody gash that nearly reaches bone, and winces. The hollow's claw had been deeper and sharper than she had anticipated. She continues to push forward though. She is a shinigami, and whether friend or stranger she had to make sure all injured were taken to safety.

Her violet eyes try to focus on the still form of the individual still lying on the pavement. She holds back a grunt as her right leg throbs from the pain of each step she takes. She tightens her hold on Shirayuki, the spirit being unusually quiet after having fought a long and tiresome battle.

At this thought, Rukia freezes for a moment her brows creasing in confusion. The battle…why can't she remember it? She looks down at her zanpakuto for answers, but again only receives silence in return. Her violet eyes stare at it in worry before looking up at the figure, and through the blinding rain that continues to batter her body with it's fast pace she spots the color black.

The person is wearing all black…. to be exact the uniform of a shinigami. She can feel her breathing rapidly increasing again as she nears the figure yet again.

She doesn't notice her loosening hold of her weapon, or the sounds of a woman silently weeping in her head. All she can stare at is the person lying on the ground, blood oozing from their body and mixing with the rain. All she can feel is this horrible empty feeling of utter…loss.

Then she spots a splotch of dark orange, and she gasps. Her violet eyes widen as the figure becomes clearer and clearer the closer she gets. The rain continues to fall without restraint and her head echoes a name over and over again like some old chant.

'Ichigo…. Ichigo…. Ichigo…Ichigo…. Ichigo…. Ichigo…'

She grows still as she makes a stop right in front of the body and is met with empty amber eyes. Her lips tremble as she stares at the still body of the young man from head to toe.

His bankai uniform is torn in multiple places, his left sleeve completely missing. There's a hole in the middle of his abdomen, and a scar running along his right arm. His face is partially covered in blood, and the rest in rain. His hands stretch out in front of him, almost as if he was reaching for the broken remains of his sword to continue fighting.

His hair clings to his face and his lips are partially open, the blood slowly seeping out from him. For a moment Rukia can see his face flash into the face of another man that was special to her…. who she also last saw in the rain.

But all her eyes can stare at are the emptiness of his eyes, the wonderful liveliness of the amber hue that always made her smile when she looked at him gone. His face was expressionless, devoid of the emotions that made Ichigo…Ichigo.

She doesn't realize when she collapses next to him, or when she picks up his lifeless body and clings to it like some precious doll she doesn't want to lose, all she can coherently think of are his empty eyes, and the feeling of loss eating at her soul.

And then…she screams, screams at the top of her lungs as she rocks his head in her lap and begs him to wake up and speak to her. Of course, the boy doesn't reply.

The tremors shake her body, and the tears make her silent as she lets the rain wash over the two of them. She feels how cold his body has gotten and wonders how long she remained unconscious before finding him here dead.

Her memory refuses to return to her so she's left with unanswered questions. The tears increase and her hold on Ichigo tightens, another thought searing her guilty mind.

She let him die all alone. She was off in the distance, knocked out by her own damn inability to be strong enough to fight.

Rukia shuts her eyes tightly and whimpers before whispering into his ear in her broken and cracked voice.

"I'm sorry…. I'm sorry…. I'm sorry…. Ichigo…. I'm sorry…. I let you die…. I let you die all alone in this place…. forgive me…. please…. Ichigo…"

Then…. her world suddenly turns black, and she feels her body spinning before it lands on something soft and refreshingly cold.

She opens her eyes and finds herself in her inner world, the snow falling gently on the ground, and the small evergreen trees swaying with the breeze of the biting cold wind. Her violet eyes stare at the place as if she's never laid eyes on it, her mind still paralyzed with grief and sorrow over the ordeal she just faced.

Then, she feels the hard yank of a large hand pulling her up by her hair. She's twirled violently around where she's met with angry yellow irises. She stares at the albino version of the boy she just saw dead and looks away with remorse aching her heart.

The hollow narrows his eyes and pushes her away from him, her body landing roughly on the ground. He smirks, expecting retaliation, angry grunts and searing words spewing from her lips as she commands him to stop being an ass.

He's met with silence as she remains on the ground, her still form making the hollow feel something close to worry.

He scoffs and walks over to her before kneeling against his feet as he stares at her black hair collecting the snowflakes as they fall around her.

"Here you said I didn't like to be lonely and the first fuckin' thing you do is ignore me for two weeks like I'm some thing that's not needed." He kicks her side roughly, but not enough to roll her over. "Not only are you a conniving little bitch Rukia-chan, but a disgusting liar." His tone is bitter, and he huffs in anger at her lack of response.

"My god you're so fuckin' irritating when you're quiet woman! Tell me wench what's got your tongue tied huh?" He kicks her again, and she coughs violently but remains still on the ground. "You on your period or somethin'?" he asks, his yellow eyes growing angrier and angrier at her by the second.

He growls when he again receives no reply and proceeds to grab her arm and force her to speak to him, and then he'd beat the shit out of her for making him feel inferior and useless.

He grows silent though as he finally notices her eyes are empty. The streak of violet flame he always sees when they argue, or when she argues with the king is simply gone.

He's taken aback, and releases his hold on her. She falls limply back to ground and stares at him with sadness and guilt that he can feel the bile building up in his throat.

He takes a step back, and winces when her eyes only grow more pained and hurt. He can feel something twisting in the pit of his stomach and sighs before asking her quietly.

"What happened?" Silence. He scowls and yells out at the silent Rukia. "Fucking say something you retarded bitch!"

"I'm sorry…. I'm so sorry." Is all she says, the snow around them quickly turning into a swirling and violent blizzard.

The hollow is forced to kneel by the wind and glares at her. "Fine!" he yells, half-wondering if she even heard him, before grabbing her arm again and going into her memories.

He sees rain, blood; a broken zanpakuto, which realizes is himself, and the king lying in a bloody heap on the ground. He hears her cries and scoffs, as he understands the cause of her distress.

He retreats from her memories and returns to stare at her lifeless orbs, the violet dull with dark emotions.

He smiles, because somehow he feels an attraction to her in this state. Perhaps it's the part of him that stems to his origins of a mindless hollow that loved the feeling of despair. He grabs her and pulls her to him.

"Look at you. It's almost like the life's been sucked out of you. I'm sickened just staring at your pathetic face, and all of this for some ridiculous illusion of the king's death your mind invented on it's own."

Another part of him though, the part that he refuses to accept he has, has other thoughts. He feels the boiling anger of what kind of affect the king has on their little Rukia toy.

'What have you done to her you bastard?' he thinks silently before pushing the thought away and kissing her forehead slowly.

He sighs and begins to disrobe her. The old her returns for a moment; she flinches and pushes him away, her eyes fiery with defiance as she glares at him.

He chuckles darkly as he intertwines his long white finger with her own dainty ones. He pulls her to him again and whispers into her ear.

"Don't worry…. I'll help you forget…" She grows rigid and he smirks. "All you have to do is let go, and I'll devour you alive…. and let you forget that ever happened. You'll awaken with no memories of that nightmare Rukia-chan…" he licks her neck with heavy desire and smirks wider as she shivers in response.

"Just let go…. Rukia."

He grins in victory as he feels her go slack in his arms, pulling her away from him he continues to disrobe her until she's completely naked in front of him.

He lays her gently back onto the snowy ground, and marvels at how lovely she looks among her element. A true broken doll.

It doesn't take long for him to remove his own clothing and soon his lips grab her own into a passionate and violent kiss. His hands roam over her body, her soft skin enticing him further. He gently gropes one breast and her dull violet eyes widen as pleasure shoots through her.

He smirks and bites her lower lip before releasing the kiss and proceeding to lick at her neck and leaving bruises where he wants.

He delves lower and begins to suck slowly on one breast as his other hand plays with the other. He can feel himself growing harder as the woman beneath him whimpers with suppressed desire. He finds himself staring at her eyes again, and almost becomes breathless at how beautiful her despair makes her eyes look.

His hands grab her hips and pull them up towards his aching sheath. His yellow irises stare at Rukia as sweat rolls down her cheeks and her eyes stare at him with desire and trust, trust that he will release her from the nightmare that plagues her mind with guilt.

His eyes narrow, and he enters her with one harsh push. She holds back a gasp, and grabs his arms as leverage as he pushes all the way in before pulling back out. She trembles and releases a shaky sigh as he thrusts into her again. He quickly finds a pattern, and pounds into her with satisfaction and growing need.

As he induces her into gasps with each thrust into her, he stares at her eyes, the violet slowly returning and her memories slipping away. He speeds up, and she can feel her walls around his shaft growing tighter and tighter as he continues.

He leans down to face her, and still thrusting into her, he whispers so lovingly; she's shocked for a moment. "It'll be over soon, and you'll forget everything…. just let go."

He repeats this over and over, even through gritted teeth as they both begin to come. Rukia is the first and her body convulses as the sensations overwhelm her, and he soon follows her.

Their heavy breaths come out as long puffs of air in the cold of the land, and his arms tremble before he collapses on top of her.

He can feel her memories slipping away into nothingness and he lets out a sigh of satisfaction. He got what he wanted and she was set free of her pain. He closes his eyes and waits for his form to slowly vanish from her inner world as she too awakens from her sleep.

He can hear her whisper something before they both vanish. "Thank you."

He smirks. "Don't thank me just yet…. Rukia-chan."

--

She wakes up on the couch, her head throbbing in pain and she feels something heavy on her legs. She looks down and sees an annoyed looking Ichigo staring at her.

"Oi, next time you want a glass of water ask me, otherwise you'll end up sleeping on the couch again, dumbass."

She stares at the Kurosaki living room and then gives Ichigo a sheepish grin. "Sorry, force of habit I'm afraid."

Ichigo jabs her jaw but smirks nonetheless. "Yea, Yea. Now get up your butt midget and get changed, school's in an hour."

As he walks up the stairs, Rukia stares at his back, her violet eyes then look down at the blanket around her body and she silently wonders why she smells tears and sweat.

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**I like how I ended this chapter (heehee)  
End.**

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	3. Chapter 3

**Title: The Sweet Taste of Medicine**

**Pairings: Implied IchiRuki & HichiRuki**

**Rating: T for Hichi's foul mouth ;p**

**Summary: He wasn't expecting this, it was so real to him he honestly believed it. Thanks to his stupidity he may have let her see more of what he is than what he would have liked.**

**A/N: This one is more humorous than the previous two I've posted. I just figured that Ichigo's hollow has a morbid sense of humor if any, and Rukia can use that to her advantage just to get a little payback to the tortures he sometimes puts her through XD. I might add another lemon soon, I need the practice and I gotta make it better than just two paragraphs -shrugs- For now please enjoy this new chapter and maybe you'll get my own twisted humor lol. **

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The sideways world he called a 'home' had been cloudless and rain-free for three months, two weeks, five days, and six hours.

His yellow irises stared as the gray clouds rolled in rapidly and violently, the wind whipping his white hair all around him. His usual wide grin was wiped clean, replaced by a concentrated and pissed off look.

The damn brat had done something terribly, terribly wrong.

He glanced at the clouds as they continued to multiply and blanket the blue sky of their world. In all honesty, if it weren't for the fact that the useless ass he called 'King' had actually turned out to be not so useless and subdued him into a truce (more like permanent monarchy, where the orange-haired kid ruled and he sulked all day and let him borrow his powers when needed) he might have taken control of his body and handled the situation far more differently.

He let out an irritated growl and kicked away a shard of glass. He ignored the wet sensation running down his cheek as the first raindrop fell. Soon, the entire world was drenched in torrential rain, so hard and fierce that the white spirit had not seen since their 'Dear Rukia' had been taken from them the first time.

'His damn fault, I ain't gonna be picking up the pieces every time he screws up. Fuck that shit I got better things to be doin'.'

He stared at his black-socked feet and he found himself feeling that same disgusting and choking feeling, utter loneliness. He grimaced at the thought and he instantly grabbed at his white Zangetsu, having a sudden itch to destroy something.

The rain drenched him completely, and the annoying thunder was grating his nerves as the seconds past. He retracted his hand and continued to his slow pace around the largest skyscraper in their world. He ignored how the rain pounded against the glass, its pace increasing with each step he made. The clouds whirled around him, never once losing its sheer strength and wind power.

He stomped on his foot finally, tired of the King's incompetence to handle a situation, whatever it may be, like a true warrior. He scowled at the rain as it bit at his skin with a violent force. He inhaled deeply prepared to yell at the tops of his lungs when the boy's cries finally reached his ears.

The yellow irises widened as he saw a slumped figure, unmoving, in a far off corner of a building. Blood is pooled around the figure as if were merely water, and it was too much blood, even for a hollow like himself.

No, he would be lying, he loved the sight of blood, it excited him and made the blood rush in his veins as adrenaline filled his muscles. Yes, he loved that sensation, if it were any other body he was seeing.

This was different though, far more different, and far more disturbing to him and the King.

The slumped form was small and fragile. The skin was pale like porcelain, and hair as dark as the midnight sky. A white zanpakuto lay broken into pieces by her arm. The King and he knew painfully well who that was…

"Rukia." "_Rukia._" They both whispered, desperately hoping that would make her respond. It did not.

The hollow turned away, trying to contain his blind rage from escaping and making him beat the snot out of the punk he calls King and who self-proclaimed himself her protector, and failed.

He scoffed at the King's inner yells, clearly all insults aimed at himself for failing to yet again protect the life of the woman they have both claimed as the one they love.

He briskly walked toward a certain building, his intentions clear. He threw a glare towards the raining skies and yelled out.

"Stop your blubbering you wimpy-ass King! I'll get your precious Rukia back…just stay put and keep her damn body warm!"

He didn't wait for a response; he knew the brat had enough sense left in that grief-stricken head to do as he was told if it meant saving the woman.

He disappeared in a pool of glass and reappeared in a chaotic world of melting ice and blinding snow. The evergreens he recognized so well were nearly all snapped in half, the wind destroying everything as it blew in more snow.

He could barely see what was in front of him as he walked down familiar pathways, all seeming to be fading away as the snow continued to blow.

He spotted a figure in the distance, and quickly made his way towards it. He recognized her through the old man's memories. A tall regal woman, with hair long and dark, a kimono as white as the snow making her almost disappear within the world itself, she held a pensive and thoughtful look all at once.

"Shirayuki."

She did not acknowledge him at first; her attentive black eyes stared at the unconscious woman in her lap. She smiled as he kneeled down next to her and stared at the other woman.

"_It will all be over soon. My lady has fought long and hard, this is her limit, even I can no longer move from this spot."_ She looked bitter for a moment. _"It is almost over."_

He let out a deep and loud cackle, earning him a heavy look from the spirit woman. His yellow irises made contact with her bright black ones and at once she recognized him.

"_You are the boy's partner….aren't you?"_

He smirks and grabs Rukia's hair, pulling her into his arms. "I'm glad you've been paying attention…my lady."

His sarcastic tone did not insult her, as she merely gave a sad glance to the still woman now in his arms.

"I can feel his sadness seeping through from your pores, but it is too late. We will soon be gone."

"No."

The woman's eyes widened at his simple words. His white hands tightened around Rukia's still body and he let an almost smile form on his lips.

"You two must continue living. There is no choice, not anymore. The moment your lives were intertwined with ours, the possibility of death escaped your grasp."

Her eyes grew warm and attentive, the snow began to slow down, and Rukia's skin slowly regained some color.

"I ain't as corny as the King. I know nothing of human emotions that revolve around love or peace, or companionship. Still, the King and I are connected. As much as it is a pain in the ass for me, I can feel everything he feels…even down to his feelings for the bitch in my arms."

The snow around them dwindled in speed and began to fall slowly.

"You two know damn well you cannot die this easily. I don't know what made the dumb broad here think she can just up and leave us with no explanation besides her own damn weakness, but the King and I ain't into that sorta bullshit."

The woman stared intently as the hollow/spirit form laid a cautious hand on Rukia's cheek and his yellow eyes gained some warmth and affection.

"Live, fight and keep living…for both our sakes if nothing else." He gave the white woman a wide mischievous grin. "Besides, the King and I can't complain…she's great in bed."

The snow fell gently around them, and the world had again returned to peace. The woman stared at him with curious eyes and smiled bemusedly at him.

"_You are a strange pair, the boy and you, but if our existence is as truly intertwined with the both of yours as you say then we will fight on."_

The hollow stared with growing boredom and handed Rukia back over to the white spirit.

"Yea, yea. If you two are gonna snap back to it then I got no business bein' here anymore so I'm going to head out." He stood back on his two feet and padded away the snow on his white hakama.

The woman's red-tinted lips twisted into a semi-smirk and she questioned him.

_"I have felt your presence here more than once. It's humorous to see you try and deny you hold any affection for my lady."_

The hollow gritted his teeth at the smug expression the woman held but held back his desire to choke the life out of her and proceeded to make his exit.

He could feel the woman's stare at his back, and the growing spiritual pressure from the unconscious woman in the other woman's arms. He smirked as he opened the portal that would lead to his world again and turned to give the woman a silent but deadly glare.

"You bitch."

And the two women smiled.

--

He opened his eyes to see the bright blue sky of his inner domain. He lifted himself up and stared at the buildings around him, his yellow eyes searching for a familiar figure.

He pounced up as he spotted a short dark-haired woman sitting casually at the edge of the building adjacent to him. Her small triumphant smile boiled his blood as he stomped towards her, his scowl resembling the King's with each passing second.

"You think you're so fuckin' smart for pulling that damn illusion on me don't ya?!"

Her smile remained unchanged as he looked up at her from the building below.

"Well, I thought I should make my first visit here enjoyable for you." She chuckled as he flicked her off. "Besides…it was really Sode no Shirayuki's idea, so thank her."

He growled at her and jumped to sit next to her.

"You're lucky you're a good fuck for the King and me or you'd be dead right now."

She laughed at that, and the hollow wondered if that illusion she pulled on him was what humans called 'karma'.

* * *

**Yea....I love killing the mood with dreams and illusions it's just how I do :p**

**End.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: And The World Shatters.**

**Pairings: HichiRuki, Implied IchiRuki**

**Rating: T for Hichigo's foul mouth and character death D:**

**Summary: It's never crossed either of their minds...that they could lose her...that she could disappear from their lives in the blink of an eye. Just like the King...he always thought Rukia was a constant...shame on them for never thinking otherwise. **

**A/N: I've returned to this story because I was feeling moody last week and this bad boy is the result of me venting heh. It's a much more darker version of this pairing than I would have liked to have added to the one-shots, but it's a perspective I had wanted to get into for awhile. So please read on and I hope you enjoy this new one-shot as much I enjoyed typing it out!

* * *

  
**

His golden irises stare dully at the slumped form of the King, as he seems to sulk over something… again.

Scoffing lightly, the hollow leisurely makes his way over to the brooding orange-haired teen and places his black-socked foot on top of Ichigo's head.

"Oi, King."

Instead of the usual response he gets whenever he does something like this (where Ichigo usually pushes him off and sends him a glare and a couple of lovely 'comments') the young man simply lets his hollow get away with it, his focus clearly not in his inner world.

The hollow raises a brow and removes his foot, his eyes growing annoyed that he was going to have to play 'therapist' with the useless boy again.

'Great. I swear to god, if we don't end up fighting some hollows and spilling some blood after this I'm choking this bastard's neck 'till I'm fuckin' satisfied.'

He sits next to the boy, and looks up to see the puffy white clouds in their world slowly turning into huge gray rain clouds. He combs through his white hair and lets out a sigh, his muscles aching for the usual sparring the King and he would do whenever he came to visit.

"What's she done now?"

Ichigo flinches, the first movement he's done since he's arrived and one brown pupil looks up to stare at the hollow.

"How do you know it's Rukia?" His voice is raspy and the hollow now wonders if the wimpy boy's been crying too.

He scoffs again, and his maniac grin returns as he answers. "Ain't it obvious King? It's about to rain in here again, and it only happens whenever Rukia is involved…not to mention she's been avoiding me too."

The hollow whispers the last part silently to himself, and his own curiosity is peaked as he wonders why Rukia has been distant from them both for awhile now.

The young man's eyes wander back down the glass building they're both sitting on, and he grimaces at the increasing number of gray clouds being reflected against the clear black glass windows.

"She's gone for three days without telling anyone anything." The hollow's half-lidded gaze turns to the boy and he smiles crookedly. 'You mean she didn't say anything to **you**.'

"Then acts as if it's nothing to worry about when her eyes have dark circles forming under them, her skin keeps getting paler and paler, and her reitsu keeps getting harder and harder to track. Almost as if it's…"

"Disappearing?"

The hollows finishes for his counterpart, his yellow irises staring at the clouds that continue to roll in as the King continues to talk.

Ichigo's eyes narrow at the word and he turns his head away, almost as if he wished there was a better word to describe what was happening to her spiritual energy than what was actual fact. It was disappearing.

"She's had this look for a week now too." Ichigo's raspy voice echoes in his inner world, and the hollow wonders why they both hadn't noticed how empty this place really was.

"She'll be writing something in the classroom, or doodling those ridiculous drawings of hers, or even right after we fight another hollow, and she'll stop." Ichigo's brown eyes lose focus, almost as if he's trying to recollect every single detail of Rukia's strange behavior.

The hollow closes his eyes and he too, can see the moments occurring, as if he were there himself.

"She'll stop, and look around, like she's trying to remember something or…"

"Trying to save every single memory of the places she sees, like if it were her last time to see them."

Ichigo only nods at his hollow, his brows twitching at the image of Rukia staring at his room like it was some precious treasure she couldn't let herself forget. Her eyes were glazed over and the heavy lines underneath her eyes made her look almost…like a corpse walking.

Ichigo runs his hands nervously through his orange locks, and tries to erase that horrible memory, it scared him to death, seeing her like that.

"Every time I even try to find out what's going on with her, she'll retaliate with some retarded reason to pick a fight with me. I can't get near her anymore without her biting at me with some stupid comments that are supposed to hurt me or something."

The hollow chuckles, though his expression is blank and his mouth pulled down into a deep frown. "You mean comments that **do** hurt you because it's coming from **her** and because it's just another sign that she doesn't trust you enough to let you know what's going on with her."

The hollow is surprised to see a reaction from the King, his brown eyes flaring as his hands tighten around his white robes, and his hot breath fans his albino skin.

"Shut the hell up! Stop talking like you know everything that's going on! You're too damn busy slithering around here trying to pick fights, annoying the piss out of me, or just finding anything to mock me with just cause nothing went your damn way!"

Ichigo flings the hollow across to the other side of the building, his arms tremble as he falls to his feet, and he can see his haggard expression looking at him from the glass of the side-ways building.

The hollow remains flat against the window, his yellow irises narrowed in silent rage. He has his mind half-made up to just go over and beat the shit out of the kid until he feels better for being flung like that. Instead he remains still, his white hands flinching as he hears the King letting out quick short breaths. He smirks, knowing the King hadn't slept properly in over three days; otherwise that little attack wouldn't have left him as worn out as it did.

"Perhaps I don't know all the exact details you jackass, but…at least I don't plan on moping around like some dog with my tail between my legs in this godforsaken place while she's out there suffering over things she doesn't want to talk about."

This catches Ichigo off guard, his eyes widening at his hollow's words as the white creature begins to slip through the window he was lying on. The young man tries to get up, his hand reaching out to grab the hollow before he went off to do something dangerous.

"Wait you bastard!" His hand grabs nothing as the hollow vanishes in a small puff of white and black smoke, leaving the teen alone in his inner world.

He stumbles and lets out another heavy breath as he feels the first drop of rain fall on the back of his neck. He clenches his fists, and collapses onto the glass, his eyes shutting close in an expression close to that of pain.

"Damn it! R-Rukia." He whispers, and he hates himself as he feels a cold chill run down his spine at the sound of his own voice speaking her name.

--

The hollow reappears in another world. His yellow irises trail over the land that is vastly different to the one he resides in. Snow seems to fall gently and peacefully around him as the pines and large maple trees that never seem to lose their leaves encircle him. He spots the same path he's taken numerous times in the distance, and begins to make his way towards it.

It was small, but he could sense the flicker of another reitsu besides that of the white woman. His eyes narrow, it had to be that damn short woman inhabiting both the King's and his thoughts.

He presses his feet hard against the cold ground, intending to shunpo his way to both women, when something catches his eyes. He stops, and straightens back up as he studies the path more closely.

A smooth marble path made of blue and silver crystals; it was always clear and pristine as he often used it to find his way to Rukia, or Shirayuki, whoever he could find first.

The path was covered in snow, and cracks now predominantly covered the marble, the crystals had lost their shimmer and now resembled more of a worn used path then the one he had grown accustomed to seeing.

He takes a step forward and his expression only darkens when the marble path cracks and crumbles even further. He pushes forward, curiosity growing as he goes further onto the path and continues to see a changed land.

The evergreens that once covered the world had lost their lush green color and turned a dull looking gray, leaving the land looking almost dead. The snow was starting to slow and he was trying to hold back the feeling of dread rolling down his entire body. He could smell decaying earth, the sort of smell you get when grass dies…or trees rot from the inside out.

His forceful steps now grow slower and further apart, the marble path already crumbling to dust just by merely being touched by the bottom of his foot. This was wrong, all terribly disturbingly wrong. His whole body was growing rigid by the second as he felt this air of something impending suffocating him.

He didn't want to recognize the sensation overwhelming his entire body as fear. For he didn't feel fear, no he was the one to bring that feeling upon others. As he closed in on the two reitsus pulsing slower and slower though, he was beginning to doubt that he wasn't feeling fear at all.

He spots Rukia first, her black uniform sticking out like a sore thumb among the snow covering her inner world. She's sitting on the edge of a large lake; a lake he remembers was always frozen. Now he notices, the ice is cracked in multiple places and he can spot water in other areas of the lake. That same feeling of dread slides down his body again at the sight. He once recalled the white woman mentioning to him that the lake represented Rukia's physical being, and how it would always melt or crack slightly during her encounters with hollows.

Now...it looked like it was barely keeping the ice together…and it was melting too fast…way too fast. He feels his hands tighten into fists, as he stands right behind her, her body still and calming, as it always was when ever he came to visit. He could spot the changes though; her body seemed to slump forward, as if it was costing her a lot of energy to merely sit in that position. Her hands were trembling, and the usual lovely color of porcelain white he always wanted to stain red looked sickly and pale.

Rukia turns at the sound of his feet shuffling through slushy snow, another thing he had finally noticed about the crumbling world surrounding him. Her violet eyes acknowledge his presence and his golden irises stare into her own, his hands involuntarily clenching tighter at the lack of fire he sees within the violet depth.

He opens his mouth several times, words he wants to say dying at the tip of his tongue. He licks his dry white lips and attempts again, again…his words disappear and all he can do is stare at her some more. She seems slightly amused by his odd behavior, and he thinks she's about to make a sarcastic remark, when a coughing fit steals her breath and she has to lean down to allow herself to fight it through.

His body grows still at how odd and unfamiliar those coughing noises sound coming from her. He can hear her lungs rattling, and her breath coming out in scratchy wheezing sounds. The hollow can feel bile rise up to his throat as he spots large drops of blood ooze out between the fingers covering her mouth and stain the snow below her feet. His eyes focus on the blood as it spreads across the whiteness of the snow, and he can't help but be fascinated by how lighter the shade of red becomes and then he sees more blood ooze out from her fingers.

He waits until she's done coughing, the dark circles the King had mentioned now becoming visible to him as she tries to take in deep breaths. She seems to be trying to control her breathing; whether she's trying to convince him or herself that the coughing fit was no big deal…he wasn't entirely sure.

The moment he spots her breathing has returned to normal, he stretches his hand out and grabs a handful of her black hair into his grip, yanking her up on her feet to stare at him. She hisses in pain and tries to push him away. His anger increases when he notices that the push she gave against his chest was not even close to her usual ones. She was weak and looked like a meek useless creature with that haggard look on her face.

He growls and throws her violently across the wet snow. He watches her body tumble and roll over several times before it stops just near the beginning of a small hill. She doesn't move, and for a moment that same feeling rolls down his back again because he thinks she's not breathing. Then he spots movement, and her tiny little arms shaking uncontrollably as she attempts to push herself back up.

He scowls as she fails and falls back ungraciously into the wet snow. He grits his teeth and finally speaks to her after what seemed like ages of silence between them.

"What the fuck are you doing you useless wench?! Get the hell up!"

A part of him hopes the taunt will provoke her, and she'll rise up with her usual glare and proceed to yell at him about how she should just kill him off and save Ichigo the trouble.

She doesn't.

Instead he sees her drag herself back up again and grab for the nearest tree, her entire body seeming to be working against her wishes as it trembles at every movement she makes.

He begins to make his way to her, intent on kicking her around for a bit to see if that will get her to talking when something else catches his attention. Sode no Shirayuki is sitting inside a little shrine. Her white kimono billowed around her like a giant white blanket. Her eyes look blank and glazed over, almost as if…

"S-Shirayuki?" he whispers out hoarsely, and he forgets to berate himself over the fact that he stuttered out her name, because she doesn't respond. Her eyes keep looking forward and his own widen in shocked disbelief.

Her body was nearly see-through, and the snow almost seemed to be picking up bits and pieces of her and transforming her to tiny little snowflakes. An eerie smile is planted on her face, almost as if she knew what was going to happen.

The hollow finds himself backing up as the zanpakuto spirit begins to disappear bit by bit in front of him, and before he can blink again she disappears in a flutter of snow.

He grabs at his chest, scowling in pain as he feels something being ripped from him, and he twirls back around quickly, a part of him dreading at what he might see.

Rukia's now leaning against the tree, her eyelids shut halfway as she continues to stare at the shrine that once held her zanpakuto. He can see trails of tears going down her cheeks, and he can feel a part of her soul disappear.

The part of the King that's intertwined with him wants to run over and embrace the petite woman, her suffering bothering him beyond what he'd like. He refuses though, and opts to walk slowly towards her, his piercing golden irises never leaving her still form. He can see her breathing has gotten slower, and her violet eyes have only dulled more.

He doesn't feel anger, or annoyance, or anything to be honest as he reaches her and kneels down to look at her face to face. Rukia finally turns to look at him, the tears still rolling down her face as her cheeks only pale further. She smiles at him, and all he could do was stare back, because he doesn't know what to do…what to say…how to react.

She coughs, and it echoes across her inner world, the world already shutting down around them as the snow finally stops falling.

"I…I didn't know how to tell him…or you, so I got…"she coughs again, "…scared and hid it. It was c-childish of me, but I…"She breathes in heavily and he can hear the rattling noise in her lungs again. "…I thought if I didn't say anything…he wouldn't have to worry…you wouldn't have to think about it."

The hollow feels like this is some sort of sick version of a confessional between them and decides right then and there that the King would have been much better at this than him…it was something he was willing to conceive Ichigo could beat him at.

Rukia senses his discomfort and gives out a noise he thinks resembles a snort. She's so far gone though; he's not entirely sure what the noises coming from her mouth mean anymore. "It's okay…if you don't understand…or don't want to." She smiles again. "I just needed to let it out, the look he's been giving me was hurting too deeply for me not to try and fix it now…with his hollow."

She coughs and small splatters of blood land on his white hakama. He can feel the tension fill the air at what he thinks she's trying to imply and he scoffs, an attempt to try and make that damned feeling of dread from rolling down his back from coming back…again.

"Che…If you want to get all touchy feely about your little issues you better go and talk to him than me you little bitch, I'm not your little pet that'll be here to listen to all your frickin' problems whenever you feel like 'talking'."

She finally focuses in on him directly and gives him the same eerie smile Shirayuki wore on her face before she vanished in a burst of snow. The hollow feels his throat clench and his hands beginning to tremble. He wants to pull away from her eyes, but he can't…and he can see everything.

The wind…which he never even noticed was still blowing, suddenly stops, and the world is still and silent as he continues to look at her saddened smile and drooping eyes.

"Y-You're dying…" He finally manages to croak out, and he wonders for a couple of seconds why her eyes widened slightly after he spoke.

Then…he feels it…tears, falling down his cheeks. "You're dying…you're…dying." And she gives him that same warm smile she always gives the King and pats his hand carefully, almost as if she doesn't have the energy to even do that.

The tears continue to fall, of their own accord, he'd like to think, but somewhere deep inside him…he knows this will ruin him as much as it will the King.

She closes her eyes and hums quietly, the sound soothing him and scaring him all at once.

Her hand rests on his own larger whiter one and he lets it remain there.

He tries not to blink as he stares at her form, knowing full well…the moment he does, he'll be back in the King's inner world…and she…

"Looks like a blade that's rusted away…" He whispers out, and he blinks, the feeling of cool glass meeting his aching knees.

He sits still…the tears continuing to fall down his face.

* * *

**If any of you had the feeling Hichigo was a bit OOC I won't blame you for it hahaha! I tried my best to get him as in character as I think he'd be if he had to deal with Rukia dying.  
This is really more of my vision of how I see Ichigo's hollow dealing with things like emotions and such. I'd like to think Ichigo and him are a lot more...intertwined emotion-wise than some other writers like to do for them.  
Either way, I hope you all liked the ending...not too much of a cliffhanger I hope :p I like to leave open-ended conclusions heh.  
Reviews are not expected but appreciated. **

**End.  
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